Clare played like a team that wasn’t fazed by the occasion in the drawn All-Ireland final and Conor McGrath’s take of the big day certainly backs that up.

The 22-year-old may have already experienced an All-Ireland final in Croke Park having been introduced as a substitute during Clare’s famous one-point win over Kilkenny in the 2009 under-21 decider while he made his senior bow there in the semi-final win over Limerick, but senior final day is an occasion unlike any other.

“I thought the whole day was brilliant to be honest,” said McGrath, who scored 0-2.

“Even the half an hour out on the pitch beforehand, the noise, the atmosphere was just brilliant - I enjoyed the whole thing.

“Then the minute the match starts, you get your first touch and you’re involved, it just becomes a normal match. But I really enjoyed the whole experience.

“You’d think you would (be aware of the crowd), coming up to the match but once the match starts you barely notice anything. The only thing you might have noticed, when Cork got a goal there was a huge cheer but other than that you’d notice very little.”

The setting for the replay is a little different given that it takes place on a Saturday with a 5pm throw-in meaning that the floodlights will be on from the start for the first time in an All-Ireland final.

“We’ll treat it very similarly, probably leave from Clare a couple of hours later than we have been doing but I don’t think it will make too much difference,” said McGrath.

“The backroom team will have planned out what we eat, when we eat - that will be left to them. We’ll just do as we’re told on the day, treat it the same as the first day.”

There are various opinions on who holds the psychological sway from the drawn game given that both teams put themselves in strong positions to win and the answer will only truly be revealed on Saturday evening.

But having only fallen behind for the first time in injury time having led by five points not too long before, it would have been a crushing blow for Clare to have been beaten, something that looked a live possibility after Patrick Horgan’s late point for Cork.

“You’d be lying if you said it didn’t cross your mind that it was gone but thankfully we were allowed play on for a few seconds and luckily enough we were able to get the opening and thankfully Domhnall (O’Donovan, below) got the point.

“We would have found it hard to stomach if we’d been beaten but I’m sure Cork are disappointed to let the one-point lead slip so deep in injury-time.

“Although we’re disappointed not to have won the match, you can’t be too disappointed when you do equalise so deep into injury-time in an All-Ireland final.”

In a game where the margins were so tight, McGrath’s three wides from five attempts could have been critical though, typical of the confidence flowing through the Clare team, he wasn’t too perturbed by it.

“After every match you’d look back to see what you’d done badly, what you’d done well - I thought I did alright, had four or five shots at goal and got two points.

“Obviously you’d like to cut out the wides the next day but I wouldn’t be too worried about it. You’re going to have wides at various stages of the year, just try to cut them out the next day.”